A touch screen is described, for example, in German Published Utility Model No. 201 02 197 U, which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto. German Published Utility Model No. 201 02 197 U describes a touch screen for visually representing electronic signals and for inputting signs and symbols by touching the screen for confirmation purposes. It includes a functional plane for visual representation and keystroke input and a higher-level protective plane corresponding thereto that is deformable at certain points. In this context, when certain points of the functional plane are selected by touching-type contact across the protective plane, at least one confirmation signal is generated for the user's sense of touch (haptic stimulus) that is perceptible at the position of the point of contact in the deformed protective plane, and the confirmation signal for the sense of touch (haptic stimulus) is generated by vibration elements eccentrically positioned within and/or underneath the functional plane. In addition, in the touch screen described in German Published Utility Model No. 201 02 197 U, the generated vibrations are transmitted from the functional plane to the protective plane as the result of direct contacting of the two planes and/or via the edge regions of the planes by way of rigid or elastic connecting elements.
Details concerning touch screens may be gathered, for example, from the Internet page www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems. For example, the following touch screens are believed to offered by 3M™:
MicroTouch™ 12.1″ FPD Touch Monitor (see www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Monitors/FPDdesktop.jhtml)
MicroTouch™ M150 FPD Touch Monitor (see www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Monitors/M150.jhtml)
MicroTouch™ CRT Touch Monitors (see www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Monitors/CRTdesktop.jhtml)
MicroTouch™ Chassis TouchTM FPD Touch Monitors (see www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Monitors/FPDchassis.jhtml)
MicroTouch™ Chassis TouchTM CRT Touch Monitor (see www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Monitors/CRTchassis.jhtml), www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/5-wire.jhtml, www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/PL.jhtml, www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/FG.jhtml, www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/SRTS.jhtml.
Further details concerning touch screens may be obtained from the following Internet pages as well:
www.elotouch.com/products/default.asp
www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/5-wire.jhtml
www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/PL.jhtml
www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/FG.jhtml
www.3m.com/3mtouchsystems/Products/Resistive/SRTS.jhtml
www.elotouch.com/products/default.asp
Furthermore, German Published Utility Model No. 201 80 024 U and PCT International Published Patent Application No. WO 01/54109, each of which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto, describe a touch-sensitive control featuring haptic feedback for inputting signals into a computer and for outputting forces to a user of the touch-sensitive control, the touch-sensitive control having a touch-screen input device which has a virtually planar touch-screen surface. On the basis of a position on the touch-screen surface that is touched by a user, a positional signal is input into a processor of the computer, the positional signal reproducing the position in two dimensions. The touch-sensitive control described in PCT International Published Patent Application No. WO 01/54109 also has at least one actuator, which is connected to the touch-sensitive input device, the actuator outputting a force to the touch-sensitive input device so as to provide the user touching the touch-sensitive surface with a haptic sensation, the actuator outputting the force directly to the touch-sensitive input device on the basis of the force information output by the processor.
Haptic feedback is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,846, PCT International Published Patent Application No. WO 03/038800 and PCT International Published Patent Application No. WO 03/41046, each of which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
German Published Patent Application No. 197 31 285 describes an operating element for a device having a plurality of selectable menus, functions, and/or functional values. Its operating surface is understandable to the user and, by locally moving or touching the operating surface, the user is able to make his/her selection. The form of the operating surface can be altered to conform with the selected and/or selectable menu, function and/or functional value.